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GMC · NHTSA safety record

2019 GMC Terrain

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

178

Complaints

7

Crashes

3

Fires

12

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 GMC Terrain have filed 178 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2018 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 64 of them (36%). The typical failure was reported at 19,500 miles, the median across the 50 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

20V668000 · October 29, 2020

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
The risk
Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

General Motors LLC · up to 194,105 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

19V184000 · March 7, 2019

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.
The risk
In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192209550.

General Motors LLC · up to 120 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

18V576000 · August 30, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
The risk
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

General Motors LLC · up to 210,628 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 178.

ENGINE 64 36%
SERVICE BRAKES 59 33%
POWER TRAIN 50 28%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 37 21%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 21 12%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 7 4%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 7 4%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 6 3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 37.

2018 2025 2026
2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

4 injured · 58,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the panoramic glass sunroof shattered, causing shards of glass to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the panoramic sunroof was in the closed position when the failure occurred. During the failure, the front passenger sustained lacerations to the back, leg, and shoulder. The eleven-month-old child seated in the rear passenger’s side seat sustained lacerations to both legs. The rear middle seat occupant sustained a laceration to the rear head area, while the rear driver’s side occupant sustained lacerations to both arms. No injuries required medical treatment. The cause of

NHTSA complaint 11523167, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

3 injured · crash · towed · 40,000 miles

The contact owned a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while the wife was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and it felt stiff. The vehicle failed to decrease in speed and as a result, the driver merged to the shoulder of the road however another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the vehicle. The driver was able to merge to the shoulder of the road where the road bumps were able to decrease the speed of the vehicle. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The driver, front passenger, and rear driver's side passenger all sustained headaches and received medical attention via an ambulance on the scene. No occupants in the second vehicle were

NHTSA complaint 11595648, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 injured · fire · 24,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC TERRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE AIR CONDITION WAS ACTIVATED, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL CHEMICAL BURNING ODOR COMING THROUGH THE VENTS, CAUSING HE AND HIS WIFE TO GET HEADACHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MEADOWLAND OF CARMEL GMC (1952 US-6, CARMEL HAMLET, NY 10512) HOWEVER, WAS NOT DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST PURCHASED AND THE ODOR WAS FIRST EXPERIENCED, THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACED THE VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 24,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 11374242. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 19,000 miles

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND WAS HIT IN THE DRIVER ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON THE STREET. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint 11231253. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
While driving my 2019 GMC Terrain on local roads, the vehicle suffered a sudden and complete failure of the braking system. The brake pedal became extremely hard to press, and the dashboard displayed a critical error message stating 'Engine Power is Reduced.' during this frightening safety incident i felt lucky to bring the car to a stop without an accident. The vehicle had to be flatbed towed to a repair facility. This sudden loss of power braking is a known, documented defect matching the engine-driven brake vacuum pump failures currently subject to federal class-action litigation (Thieme v. General Motors). I am requesting a formal safety investigation into why the GMC Terrain was

NHTSA complaint 11755772, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While driving the vehicle became extremely difficult to stop I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it needed to be replaced. This was first completed 09/24/25 by Gateway tire and service center. I was advised that there was a service bulletin for the issue. Then I have had the same thing happen and I returned the vehicle to the same repair shop and I was advised that the Vacuum booster pump was broken and it caused the exhaust camshaft to break, as well as the timing was out. The shop had to replace several things in order to repair and I was responsible for the cost. There was no warning before either of the incidents.

NHTSA complaint 11748359. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
No engine lights are on. When at stops it starts chugging and when I accelerate sometimes it does not go like it should. It idles high and feels like it is slipping. I have almost been hit in the rear several times when this happens. One lady did rear end me but the damage was so little that I did not call the cops. This vehicle has not been inspected and it is available for inspection at any time.

NHTSA complaint 11748117. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The turbo went completely out at around 105k miles while I was driving to work. I had to coast into a repair shop because it was smoking and wouldn’t go over 20mph and then have it towed to the place that repaired it. Since then, the transmission is having trouble shifting gears. The car struggles to accelerate and I have to go abnormally slow after coming to a complete stop in order for the car to get into gear. The onstar diagnostic says everything is fine but it is clearly not fine.

NHTSA complaint 11743318. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2019 GMC Terrain has a faulty back up camera system. It shows a blue screen that says Service rear view camera system, This has been a faulty system for years until it finally stopped working completely. I have researched the issue and have discovered this is a known problem. There was a Service Bulletin 19-NA-076 dated April of 2019. Why has there not been a recall for this safety issue?

NHTSA complaint 11738911. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

76,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Terrain. The contact stated that while stopped and attempting to turn to exit a highway ramp, he observed a loud banging noise emanating from the engine compartment. An "engine reduced power" message appeared. The vehicle then went into limp mode, and when the brake pedal was depressed, it was stiff as a rock. The vehicle coasted while he continued attempting to depress the brake pedal, and it eventually slowed down. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. When the vehicle was turned back on and he attempted to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not accelerate. The vehicle was taken to his mother's residence approximately 100

NHTSA complaint 11737591, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Terrain

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 24 1 —
2024 48 1 —
2023 37 2 —
2022 52 2 —
2021 34 2 —
2020 189 2 —
2018 216 5 —
2017 133 1 —
2016 152 2 —
2015 297 3 —
2014 296 2 —
2013 363 3 1
2012 364 4 —
2011 386 4 —
2010 290 3 —

Other 2019 GMC models

Sierra 1500 622 Acadia 379 Yukon XL 66 Yukon 53 Sierra 2500 32 Sierra 3500 13

Every GMC on this site — 144 vehicles, 425 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst